West Bank: UN rights report warns of forcible displacement from three refugee camps
A UN human rights report accuses Israel of forcibly displacing over 33,000 Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps in early 2024, destroying homes and infrastructure, and blocking returns in violation of international law.
A UN human rights office report states that Israeli security forces forcibly displaced the entire populations of Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarem refugee camps in the occupied West Bank in January and February 2024. The operation, part of Israel’s Operation Iron Wall, involved military, police, and other forces who killed civilians, destroyed hundreds of homes, damaged infrastructure, and cut off essential services such as water and electricity. Humanitarian access to the camps was also blocked during the offensive.
The report highlights that Israeli forces systematically destroyed or damaged 52% of structures in Jenin camp, 48% in Nur Shams, and 36% in Tulkarem by October 2025. Displaced Palestinians reported being ordered to leave their homes, with some told by Israeli officers that there would be no more refugee camps and that they should relocate to Jordan. The UN human rights office expressed serious concerns that these actions may constitute the crime against humanity of forcible transfer.
According to the report, Israeli forces used airstrikes, armored bulldozers, and controlled detonations to render entire camps uninhabitable, actions that also raise concerns of collective punishment and ethnic cleansing. The operation resulted in the deaths of 102 Palestinians, including 21 children, accounting for 46% of all killings by Israeli forces in the West Bank during that period. Among the victims were Sondos Shalabi, eight months pregnant, who was shot dead while attempting to leave Nur Shams camp, and ten-year-old Saddam Hussein Rajab, who was fatally shot in Tulkarem.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk stated that the operation’s conduct suggested an aim to expel as many Palestinians as possible to facilitate illegal Israeli settlements. He called on Israel to end its 59-year occupation of Palestinian territory and comply with the International Court of Justice’s 2022 finding that its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful. Israel’s Defence Minister ordered the military to remain in the three camps in February 2025, explicitly barring displaced Palestinians from returning. UNRWA reports that approximately 33,362 people remain displaced as of July 2025.